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The world turned its eyes to Brazil last month as leaders gathered in Belém for COP30. They made grand promises to save the trees and stop global warming. However, a closer look past the polite speeches reveals a different reality on the ground. The Amazon rainforest is not just a biological reserve anymore; it is a battlefield. The recent "Amazon Summit" was not merely about environmental science, but rather about national security. It is impossible to save the climate without stopping the crime that drives its destruction. The rainforest has become a hub for dangerous international criminal groups, and this is the hard truth of 2025 that the international community must face.

Deforestation is often misunderstood as a small, local problem involving poor farmers cutting down a few trees to plant food for their families. That image is a myth. Today, the destruction of the Amazon is industrial, highly organized, and extremely violent. The statistics are shocking. A recent report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime highlights this massive scale. They found over 4,000 illegal mining sites across the Amazon basin. These are not small pits but massive operations that destroy the earth and poison the land. The primary driver for this destruction is money. In 2025, the price of gold hit a record high of over $3,500 per ounce. This high price drives criminals into the jungle to extract wealth at any cost. They poison the rivers with mercury to find gold, caring nothing for the law, the environment, or human life.

Environmental crime has grown into a global giant that rivals other major illicit industries. Experts estimate it is now the third or fourth-largest criminal sector in the world. It generates between $110 billion and $281 billion every year. This is not small change; this is big business. It rivals the illegal drug trade in size and power. The most alarming part of this situation is the connection between drugs and the environment. Security experts call this the "crime-climate nexus." Criminal gangs, like the First Capital Command (PCC) in Brazil, have changed their business model to maximize profits. They used to only traffic drugs, but now they also traffic illegal timber and gold. They use the same logistical routes for everything. They float cocaine down the river on the same boats that carry illegal wood, creating a streamlined system of criminal activity.

The Amazon region covers eight different countries, touching Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and others. For governments, these borders are real lines on a map that define jurisdiction. A Brazilian policeman cannot just cross into Peru to catch a thief; he has to stop at the line. However, for criminals, these lines do not exist. They commit a crime in one country and then jump across the river to another country to be safe. The police cannot follow them there. This lack of cross-border cooperation is a huge failure of international relations. COP30 tried to fix this by discussing the creation of a "Green Interpol." Leaders want police forces to share data and coordinate actions. But talk is cheap, and real action on the ground is desperately needed.

This situation brings up a sensitive political issue regarding sovereignty. The question of who actually owns the Amazon is a point of contention. Countries in the West, like those in Europe or North America, see the Amazon as a global treasure because it cleans the planet's air. They say it belongs to the world and want to help protect it. However, they often want to control how it is protected. Brazil and its neighbors strongly dislike this attitude. They view it as "green colonialism." They argue that the Amazon is theirs and say, "We will protect it our way." This creates a political deadlock. Brazil needs money to fight these powerful gangs, but they do not want foreign soldiers on their soil. At COP30, Brazil proposed a new idea called the "Global Mutirão." This is a Portuguese word for a community work group. They want the world to help, but on Brazil's terms. They want technology and equipment, not interference.

COP30 in Belém was a start, but a summit is just a meeting. The real work happens in the mud and the rain, far away from the conference halls. The urgency is clear to observers from the Global South. The Amazon is bleeding. It is not just bleeding water and sap; it is bleeding blood. It is a war between the rule of law and the rule of greed. If the criminals win, the forest dies. And if the forest dies, the world suffer the consequences. World must treat the Amazon like the vital security zone it is. Countries must fight for it with the same seriousness they apply to any other global conflict.

Md. Saiful Islam Shanto is a Research Intern at Centre for Governance Studies (CGS). 

Disclaimer: Views in this article are author’s own and do not necessarily reflect CGS policy